Runaway
by iPepsi
Summary: Jade West, a young bartender, comes across a distraught Tori Vega, whose life is a mess after things fall apart with her fiancee and her family. When Jade offers her a place to stay, what Tori thought would become easier gets more complicated. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Runaway**

**Chapter 1**

Jade West, a female bartender, began to wipe the counter with a rag, passing by where Tori Vega was sitting alone, nursing her fourth cocktail. She casually raised her head away from her cleaning job and peeked around the near-empty bar behind the attractive, young brunette.

"You've got three more minutes to order another drink before we close up. Although I wouldn't recommend it since it appears whoever was supposed to take you home already left," Jade observed passively.

Tori lifted her gaze to meet the bartender's and pushed her empty glass forward.

"Just give me two shots of vodka and top it off with some sprite."

Having seen many people go down this path before, Jade reluctantly turned around and followed the woman's orders. She handed Tori her drink a minute later and proceeded to finish closing up, leaving her alone to be with her thoughts. Everything was squared away within fifteen minutes, so Jade returned to the space across from Tori, and she leaned against the counter in relief over a night's work being complete.

"Should I call someone for you?" Jade normally didn't hesitate to kick people out at closing time, but something about this woman put her in touch with her soft spot.

"Nah, don't bother. I mean…it's not like anybody would come for me," Tori replied with a sigh.

Jade stared at the other woman, perplexed.

"You mean to tell me that someone like you doesn't have anyone waiting at home for them?"

Tori raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Someone like me?"

One of Jade's co-workers came up and interrupted them.

"I need to lock up. Is everything okay here?"

"Yeah, we were just leaving," Jade explained before she walked around to the other side of the counter and motioned for Tori to follow her.

Tori took a moment to stand up and steady her balance before she followed Jade out through the employee exit.

"Where are we going?"

Jade pointed to her car. "You can get in if you want."

"How do I know you're not an ax murderer?" Tori questioned suspiciously.

"How do I know you're not a mugger?" Jade challenged back.

"Well um…because I'm not?"

"There you go then. Neither am I."

Jade unlocked her car with the push of a button and opened the door to slip inside. Tori entered on the passenger side and fidgeted awkwardly.

"A little bit ago when I said someone like you, what I meant was, well…I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you look like a model straight out of a Victoria's Secret magazine," Jade admitted while avoiding eye contact.

"I'm pretty sure none of the Victoria's Secret models just ditched their fiancée and came out to their parents," Tori muttered in return.

Jade's eyes went wide at the other woman's confession. She did not see that coming. She tried to come up with a response, but suddenly she realized that the woman beside her had revealed something really personal, and they still hadn't even exchanged names.

"I uh, I'm Jade by the way." She reached out her hand to offer a shake.

"Tori," her passenger replied while returning the gesture.

"So Tori, you were engaged?" Jade inquired with legitimate interest.

She allowed her fingers to drum across the bottom of the steering wheel while she waited for Tori to open up about the details. From the corner of her eye she watched Tori drag a hand through her hair and let it fall back to her lap.

"Yeah. His name is Andre and he's a really talented pianist. We began singing together in high school. He asked me out when we were in college, and proposed on my birthday a few months after graduation. It's been about eight months since then."

Jade peeked over at Tori and noticed that she looked ashamed. She took a risk and moved her right hand so it rested over Tori's left. She decided this must have reassured her, because she continued her story.

"I had this stupid crush on another one of my best friends for the longest time. Don't get me wrong, she and I never hooked up or anything, so it's not like I cheated on him. She is only interested in men anyway. But that didn't stop me from wishing something could happen."

"If you didn't cheat, then why did you leave your fiancée?"

"I didn't have a choice. I forgot to clear my internet history one night, and the next day he found all these searches I had done about questioning sexual orientation and the lesbian blogs I had visited. He asked me if I had let someone borrow our computer, and when I said that I hadn't he knew it was all stuff I was looking at."

Jade stroked the back of Tori's hand softly and looked into her eyes with genuine concern.

"How did he react?"

"He was really shocked at first. After that he got really angry. I thought it would be easier to talk it out with him since we were so close for so long, but he told me he felt led on because not once had I ever even hinted that I was attracted to women, or doubted my attraction to him. Then I chose to leave, so I asked my parents if I could stay with them this past week. As soon as Andre didn't show up with me they were asking a dozen questions at a time, and eventually I had to tell them our engagement was probably over and why."

A small tear escaped the side of Tori's left eye, but she quickly moved her hand away from Jade so she could wipe it away.

"Jade, I'm sorry I'm unloading this all on you. You have no reason to care about me or my problems. Your job ended at getting me out of the bar."

Jade shook her head.

"I could tell you needed an audience, and I wasn't about to let you put the whole road in danger by driving yourself home."

"No threat there. My home is wherever I'm sitting, and everything I own is split between two houses, Andre's and my parent's."

"You're planning to sleep on the street?"

"No choice. My parents asked me to leave, and I'm too afraid to face Andre right now."

"What about your other best friend? The one you have a crush on? She must have a place, too. Or other friends."

Tori shook her head.

"She's in Europe right now. All my other friends are mutual between Andre and I, so they'll just give me grief over everything. The streets will be peaceful in comparison, give me some time to figure out everything before I face it head on again."

"I'm pretty sure alcohol never brought anyone peace, Tori. It's a depressant. You'd do better without it."

"I had to alter my consciousness somehow. No other way I'll be able to fall asleep on the ground, in an alley, or wherever…"

Jade yawned at the mention of sleep.

"Speaking of sleep, I should probably drive back to my place before I become as hazardous as a drunk from drowsiness."

Tori began to reach for the door handle, but Jade grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Where are you going?"

"You said you need to leave."

"Come back with me to my place," Jade insisted.

"But I'm a complete stranger," Tori reasoned.

"No you're not. Your name's Tori, you're stubborn, you enjoy vodka over rum, your love life is on the rocks, and you're attracted to women. Did I miss anything important?"

"Yeah, I don't sleep with people when I'm not in a relationship with them."

Jade blushed slightly.

"I wasn't…"

Tori cut her off.

"I know you weren't, but I thought it was important to share."

Jade finally turned the key in the ignition and put her car into reverse.

"You don't have to worry about me. I only seduce women that I don't like."


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Almost exactly a year ago I published the first chapter of this story with every intention of continuing it from start to finish. I've had the opening to this chapter in my head for the last 12 months, and tonight I finally got my stubborn self to write it out and keep going. Thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter, and I hope after all this time you'll find the update and stick with me as I attempt to finally write this story. Enjoy! _

**Runaway**

**Chapter Two**

Tori woke up abruptly with a stiff neck and a wicked headache. Her vision attempted to adjust to the light entering the room she was in, but it was taking too long so she decided to keep her eyes closed for a bit longer. The sound of footsteps nearby startled her and acted as motivation to open her eyes again as a means of investigation. She was caught off guard as the sight in front of her turned out to be an unknown male strutting through the unfamiliar living room wearing only a towel. He got as far as the kitchen, opening the fridge to sneak a swig of orange juice straight from its carton, before turning to face the cupboards above the counter alerted him to the presence of a woman staring in his direction from the couch.

They made eye contact briefly, but kept an awkward silence between them until the man chose to clear his throat and try starting a conversation.

"I uh…didn't know Jade was having a guest," he explained while glancing down at his lack of attire then back up at Tori.

Tori rubbed her aching forehead as she recalled pieces of meeting Jade the night before, spilling her guts, and then getting invited to stay over as an alternative to passing out on concrete in an alley somewhere. In no part of their conversation had a roommate or boyfriend come up, in fact, she was certain Jade had said something about seducing women.

"Neither did she technically," Tori replied softly as she began to sit up.

"I'm Beck, Jade's roommate. Usually she doesn't let her um…lady guests…stay long enough to introduce me."

Tori began to blush slightly, realizing that Jade's roommate obviously thought a sexual encounter had occurred between the two women. His shock at her presence in the aftermath was consistent with what Jade had told her about selecting women she didn't like. Of course they wouldn't still be there in the morning for Beck to meet if they didn't mean anything to her.

Jade walked into the room while Tori was still deep in thought, having overheard Beck's last statement.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Beck. I am capable of having a girl over without fucking her. Now go get dressed before you scar her permanently with images of your man body."

Tori was taken aback slightly by Jade's vulgarity, but Beck didn't seem the least bit fazed as he proceeded to roll his eyes and head down the hall toward his bedroom.

"Sorry about him. It's been a while since he's gotten laid so he tends to forget his manners around strangers, especially women."

"I can still hear you!" Beck shouted from his room.

"I wasn't telling a secret!" Jade shouted back from the living room.

Tori couldn't help but grin at their exchange. They're like siblings, the way they bicker.

"It's fine. He lives here, so it's me who has been out of place this morning," Tori admitted.

Jade smiled at Tori warmly.

"How about I take you out for breakfast?"

Tori shook her head quickly, although internally she was battling with herself to accept the offer.

"You've done enough for me already. Besides, I don't even have a change of clothes. Your reputation with the ladies might get bent out of shape if they find out you're hanging around smelly charity cases."

"Take a shower, raid my closet, and then we'll go. It's not a reputation that reels them in; it's my body and my charm. Neither of which you have any chance of destroying," Jade stated with a wink.

Tori opened her mouth to protest, but almost immediately shut it again. Her rumbling stomach signaling hunger wins against her pride that tells her not to accept too much help from a stranger.

"I'll wash your clothes when I'm done with them, and I'll pay you back for breakfast when I get more steady work hours again."

Jade, who had no intention of letting Tori pay her back, just nods her head and ushers the other woman towards her bedroom so they can get going soon.

By the time they enter the nearby diner, both women feel like they're starving, and it takes a ton of willpower not to order half the items on the menu. Tori finally settled on some hot chocolate, a stack of pancakes, and a side of bacon. Jade demanded coffee first, and then chose to have strawberry crepes and hash browns. They fell into casual chatter as they sipped their drinks and waited for their food to be prepared.

"So how long have you been a bartender?" Tori inquired curiously.

"Since I turned 21. So a couple years now. I've had a fake ID since I was nineteen, so I sorta got away with being an apprentice for a while before that."

"Is that what you always wanted to be?"

"Not really. I wanted to be a writer, but it doesn't pay the bills. It's my side job to stay afloat."

"Do you write a lot then?"

"Yeah, I write all the time when I'm not working. Usually I'll lock myself in my room for hours brainstorming ideas or scribbling out detailed scenes, and Beck knows better than to interrupt me when that happens."

"How do you know Beck? You seem quite close to be just random craigslist roommates."

"We dated in high school. He and I used to argue constantly. Eventually it drove us and our friends crazy, so we decided to see other people."

The waiter arrived with their food, and they both quickly dove in with their forks, creating a break in their conversation. Tori finished her bacon first, and then moved onto her pancakes, drowning them in maple syrup. Jade was taking another stab into one of her strawberry crepes when she was interrupted by a sudden giggle. She looked up at Tori with a raised eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"You have a little something…" Tori trailed off as she attempted to mirror where a bit of whip cream had become stuck to Jade's face just far enough outside her lip that her tongue couldn't reach.

Jade began to reach for a napkin, but Tori stopped her in her tracks as she lifted her index finger towards the other woman's face and wiped the sticky, white substance away with one swift movement of her hand. Tori immediately brought her finger to her own lips and licked the cream off of it, shocking Jade.

"Mmm, that's really good. Maybe I'll have to order some of those next time," Tori exclaimed, as if completely unaware of the effect her actions had on Jade.

"Well you didn't order them this time, so hands off," Jade commanded, not coming off quite as harsh as she usually would when telling someone what not to do.

Tori cut off a corner of one of her pancakes and lifted it towards Jade as a peace offering.

"You can have some of mine to make it even?"

Without hesitation Jade bit the piece of pancake directly from the fork, letting her tongue run across it as she retreated. Tori continued to finish her pancakes using the same utensil, showing no concern about the other woman's mouth having been on it.

As they finished up their breakfast, Jade decided it was time to find out a little bit more about her new friend.

"So what kind of job do you have?"

"It's not really much of a job. I mean, it's not like I have a regular schedule, a salary, or anything else you'd expect from a college graduate," Tori disclosed hesitantly.

"Yeah so…go on?"

"I give music lessons to underprivileged youth at an after school program. It's mostly group sessions since they can only pay me for the one hour of instruction, but I work with some of the kids one-on-one afterward for free."

"So that was a week's paycheck you spent at the bar last night, huh?"

Tori nodded slightly, feeling embarrassed.

"Andre works for a record company. The pay is decent. Since we were supposed to be getting married I guess there wasn't much of a concern for me having a full time career of my own? He could afford to pay for everything."

"How are you going to apply for work if you're living on the streets? If he really loved you, then he should at least allow you to stay until you can figure out a job that pays enough to survive on your own."

Tori shook her head.

"Like I told you before, I chose to leave. Yeah, he was angry and we needed the break even if I wanted to stay, but I don't. If I keep living with him then that will give him hope that doesn't exist. I might even fall into the trap of the financial stability again. It wouldn't be right though, because I know now that I'm gay."

"I can ask Beck if he'd be okay with you crashing for a while longer. At least until you have a couple interviews. There's a small hallway closet that's mostly empty. You could keep some of your clothes and belongings in there until you're ready to move all your stuff into your own place."

"No offense, but why would you go out of your way to help me like that? We haven't even known each other a full day and you already let me crash on your couch and bought me breakfast."

Jade shrugged.

"Maybe I'm having a Good Samaritan phase, or maybe I'm getting worn out only spending time with women who intend to sleep with me while living in testosterone valley. We click, Tori, and it's been a while since that's happened for me. I tend to keep everyone else at a distance."

"Alright. If Beck approves, then I'll stay. But as soon as I have a full time gig I am paying you back some kind of rent, and I'll be paying as much as possible for my own groceries."

"Don't worry. Beck will approve. I taught him long ago that saying no to me is a bad idea."


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: I'm still struggling to figure out which tense I'm even trying to write this in, but other than that I'm happy so far. Thanks to anyone who is reading, and especially to those who also review. It's always great to hear from readers. :) _

**Runaway**

**Chapter Three**

Tori let out a deep sigh as she stared up at the place where she used to live from the passenger seat of Jade's car.

"I don't think I can do this," she admitted quietly.

"He probably won't keep your stuff here forever, Tori. You need to get what's important to you while it's still around to claim."

Tori moved her gaze from the house to the woman beside her.

"I am grateful for the ride, Jade, but I think it was a mistake coming here."

Tori made a motion toward her seatbelt that she had only recently taken off. Jade could tell what she was doing and leaned over to take hold of her wrist and stop her.

"He already knows we're here. I saw someone peek out the window right after we pulled in. If you leave without getting what you came here for, then he wins."

Jade let go of her hold on Tori's wrist and reached for her own door handle.

"Look, I'll at least get some of your clothes for you. If you want anything else you'll have to follow me."

Tori looked on with disbelief as Jade exited her car completely and began walking up the driveway toward the front door of Andre's house like she didn't have a care in the world that she was about to confront a guy who has never met her. All it took was Jade reaching for the doorbell before Tori jumped from the car and sprinted to the space beside her, realizing she was one hundred percent serious about retrieving some of what had been left behind with her ex.

When Andre opened the door he did so slowly, and looked on at them without uttering a single word. Jade apparently didn't have the patience to deal with a stare-off as she began to push her way past him and invite herself in. That grabbed his attention enough to make him speak up.

"Hey! You can't just barge into…"

Andre attempted to scold the intruder, but the glare she gave him when they made eye contact again sent chills up his spine, causing him to fall silent mid-sentence. Satisfied, Jade turned to Tori and motioned for her to come closer.

"Show me to your room."

Tori walked toward the flight of stairs in front of them, but not before Jade caught her sending an apologetic look toward Andre on her way. He looked like he contemplated following them, but instead walked into the living room and hit play on his DVR that had been sitting on pause while he investigated the unexpected car that entered his driveway ten minutes earlier. Of course he had expected Tori to return sooner or later, but not with the spawn of Satan as a bodyguard.

When they reached the room on the second floor that Tori used to share with Andre, she paused and let Jade enter first. Jade stopped to look around in curiosity while Tori headed straight for the closet.

"I'm glad we kept some of our boxes from the last move flat against the wall in here. I can use a couple for my stuff that I'm taking to your place."

When Jade didn't respond Tori looked up from putting one of the boxes together to see that her companion was spacing out looking toward the wall to their left above a dresser. Tori walked toward the other woman while holding her box with one hand. She snapped her fingers beside Jade's ear, successfully getting her attention.

"Where'd you go?"

"That girl. The one in the picture where you're on a picnic, and the one at the beach. Is she the one you're in love with?"

"I never said I was in love with her," Tori replied defensively, "it was just a stupid crush."

Jade nodded her head and walked toward the other box Tori had retrieved from the closet, intending to help pack up some of her stuff as promised. Tori chose not to follow suit right away.

"Why do you ask, anyway?"

Jade shrugged, struggling to get the box she was folding into place to cooperate.

"Your smile, it reaches your eyes in those pictures. In some of the others where it's just you, or you and Andre, it doesn't."

Unsure how to respond to the observation, she resumed putting together the box in her arms, and began sorting through her half of the closet that seemed to have gone untouched since her departure. Jade finally won her battle against the other box, and promptly started sorting into it the clothes Tori was removing from their hangers one-by-one.

When the two boxes were full and properly sealed, Jade stacked them together and waited on Tori to plan their next step.

"Is there anything else you want to bring with you?"

Tori paused for a moment, as if contemplating, but eventually shook her head and closed the closet door.

"Most of my keepsakes are still with my parents. The only other thing left here that I wish I could bring is the piano, but seeing as Andre bought it and plays it almost every day, I can't exactly take that."

"I'm pretty sure I still have an old keyboard in storage if you can't handle living without having some keys to stroke."

Jade could tell by the way that Tori's face lit up right then that she was going to be having a date with the cobwebs and spiders guarding her long-forgotten belongings very soon.

"Let's go. Andre is probably getting fidgety down there wondering if we're destroying his house up here."

"Or we could just be borrowing the bed," Jade teased suggestively, throwing in a wink for good measure.

Tori blushed lightly as she lifted the top box beside Jade and turned to face the door.

"Let's pretend that thought wouldn't cross his mind. He may be mad at me, but he's still a guy. I'd prefer not to become the object of his fantasies."

"Weren't you already, I mean…he liked it enough to put a ring on it."

"I, uh…you know what? I'm not justifying that with a response."

"Telling me you refuse to respond is a response," Jade reminded her.

"Whatever, let's just get out of here, okay?"

Tori doesn't wait for Jade to confirm this plan, heading out the bedroom door and down the stairs confidently. Andre, hearing their footsteps, decided to pause his DVR again.

"Did you get everything, or are you planning to come back unannounced again?" Andre shouts from the living room.

Tori takes a break at the bottom of the stairs to reply.

"I just needed some clothes. If I have to come again, I'll call first."

"Maybe you can leave your girlfriend at home next time?" Andre suggested, openly expressing his distaste for Jade's presence.

Tori opened her mouth to respond, but Jade beat her to it.

"The name's Jade, and while Tori might agree I'm an animal, she has no intention of keeping me locked up unless it involves being handcuffed to a bedpost."

Andre's mouth hangs open as Tori forgets her embarrassment long enough to shove Jade toward and out the front door.

"What was that?" she whisper-yelled as they approach Jade's trunk to load the boxes inside.

"Relax, I was just rattling his cage a little," Jade admitted, a smirk appearing on her face immediately afterward.

"Well don't, okay? Our relationship is broken enough these days without you implying I've become some kinda lesbian sex kitten. I'd still like to be friends with him someday, you know."

Jade began to feel guilty, realizing Tori might legitimately be upset with her. Usually she enjoys when people suffer, but she couldn't bring herself to celebrate this most recent mindfuckery.

Once the boxes were in the trunk and they were secured in Jade's car, she made an effort to apologize.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said to Andre. It was out of line and I'd take it back if we saw each other again."

Once Jade had pulled out of the driveway and they were back on the road, Tori spoke up.

"I get it. You're used to having all these spontaneous sexual encounters, so it's easy for you to joke about things like that. Unfortunately, it's difficult for me to be as comfortable with it."

Jade glanced toward Tori and smiled reassuringly.

"I can't promise I'll be able to tone it down 100%, but if it helps I'll try to leave you out of the spotlight from now on."

"I can live with that," Tori assured her, deciding it would be unwise to get much pickier if she wanted to keep a roof over her head as Jade and Beck's guest roommate.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Don't worry, readers. I am not disappearing again. It just took my more than one sitting (three total, in fact) to get this written since I almost fell asleep the first two times I sat down to continue it. Not because I'm bored with it. I just have a complicated sleeping pattern aka there is no pattern and when I finally pass out, it's a miracle so I have to roll with it. _

**Runaway**

**Chapter Four**

Tori was dusting a corner of an old bookshelf when the sound of her phone's ringtone startled her.

"Fuck," Tori mumbled to herself as she scrambled to silence the phone. This was her first week at a new part time job, and the last thing she needed after a month-long search for employment was to be fired for taking personal calls while on the clock. She was so concerned with making the sound disappear that she didn't even bother to check the caller ID.

After hastily shoving the noisy electronic device back into her pocket, she resumed cleaning the shelves in what seemed like a rarely-searched section of the local library. Organizing books and cleaning up after library patrons was far from her dream job, but if it was enough to get her by while she continued volunteering her time with musically-inclined children, then for now there would be few complaints.

Her five hour shift dragged into the late afternoon, so by the time she left the missed call was almost forgotten until she looked down at her phone to double check if either of her roommates needed her to pick something up on the way home. There was a voicemail waiting for her from her former girl crush. She brought the phone to her ear after putting in the password to access her messages.

"Tori – it's Cat. We need to talk. I dropped by the house to surprise you…when were you planning on telling me you left him? Why didn't I get a call from you?! I don't know where you are but please call me back so I know you're alright."

Guilt washed over Tori as she listened to her best friend's message. She hadn't felt right dropping a bomb like this in the middle of Cat's vacation of a lifetime halfway across the globe. In the chaos of figuring out the new living situation and searching for work her approaching return from Europe was long forgotten. However, now was as good a time as any to catch her up, so she hit speed dial 3 and waited for an answer.

"Hello? Tori? Is everything okay? What's going on? Where are you?!" Cat bombarded her with a million questions from the get-go.

Tori sighed deeply and attempted to get a word in.

"Cat, Cat…please. One question at a time."

"Sorry, I'm just worried about you," Cat explained softly.

"Well don't, because I'm fine," Tori insisted.

"Really?" Cat responded skeptically.

"Yeah. So uh…how much did Andre tell you?"

"Not much except the part where you MOVED OUT over a month ago!"

"Maybe we should talk about this in person."

"I've been waiting all day already, Tor. Can't I have a preview at least before I spend the evening summarizing the entire trip I just took to my family."

"I'm attracted to women. How's that for a preview?"

Tori was certain if she could see Cat's face at that moment she would have a dropped jaw and be standing completely frozen. The temporary silence confirms the frozen part.

"Bu..but…you..and Andre…and…how?"

"I don't know. It is what it is, Cat. Andre couldn't accept it and neither could my parents. So I moved in with a bartender."

"You cheated on Andre with a female bartender?!"

"Whoa, slow down. There was no cheating," Tori replied defensively.

"Then why give up what you had with Andre if you aren't in love with someone else? He can notice attractive women, too, but he gave up pursuing them forever when he proposed to you."

"I didn't plan to leave, Cat. I wanted it to work and I was ready to forget these other feelings that I had before he found out. I care about him so much, but sometimes I worry I can't love him the way I should if we're going to meet at the alter one day," Tori confessed.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you right now. I'm still processing this. Will you forgive me if we continue this conversation sometime in the next couple days over coffee?"

"Sure, I understand. I live in the Sherwood district. There's a great strip out here with cafés, delis, restaurants…you name it. Text me a time and I'll tell you a place."

"Thanks, Tor. I've gotta get ready for family dinner. Call me if you need me," Cat insisted.

"I will. See you soon!"

Tori heard the call go silent on Cat's end and proceeded to click the end call button on her own phone. She was running late getting back to the apartment now, and Jade had texted her during the phone call to make sure nothing crazy had happened to her on the way home.

When Tori entered the apartment she now shared with Jade and Beck, she instantly took in a delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

"Mmmm what's cooking?" Tori inquired as she was slipping her shoes off in the front hallway.

She discovered Jade in the kitchen removing what looked like a tray of lasagna from the oven.

"It's the West family recipe," Jade explained, setting the tray down on top of the counter to let it cool off. "It's one of the few things my blood relatives were ever any good for, in my opinion."

Tori shook her head and allowed herself to collapse on a nearby stool.

"The more cryptic you are about these other Wests, the more I want to know."

Jade sat down across from her after removing her apron and putting down the pot holders she had been using.

"There's nothing to tell honestly. Once you taste the lasagna, you'll have as much insight into the West traditions as anyone on the outside will ever need."

Jade raised an eyebrow as she observed the look on Tori's face that was indicative of her holding back many questions. Tori saw the look Jade was giving her and sighed.

"I'm sorry that I keep trying to dig up all this stuff about you. I'm just naturally curious."

"Not your fault, I just don't do show and tell, or mostly tell. There's a lot that I show when people end up in my bed."

Tori looked at Jade timidly as she posed her next question.

"Yeah, and uh…what's that like?"

Jade chuckled and shook her head.

"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

Tori became disappointed as Jade got up to serve dinner and forced her inquisitive nature to settle down as it was drowned out by the most delicious lasagna she had ever tasted.


End file.
